Welcome to skulls & Skeletons

Attention skull lovers! Tokyo-based jewelry designer Shinji Nakaba has some goodies for you. Shinji has been crafting wearable works of art out of unconventional materials since 1974, and these pearl skulls are testament to his deft skill and killer taste!

“I just want to bring brand new life to something that has no value,” Nakaba tells Magnifico. “I use not only precious metals and stones, but also everyday things, such as aluminum beer cans, plastic bottles, or even garbage.”

This gorgeous series of skull jewelry is some of Nakaba's more "high end" stuff, as each piece is carved into lovely, delicate pearls. The word Vanitas, the latin word for "vanity," is carved into many of his skulls; likely a reference to funerary art popular in the 16th-17th centuries. This type of work employed memento mori motifs and emphasized the transience of life, never forgetting the inevitability of death.